Southwest, American tighten mask rules; Delta widens testing
The moves come as airlines try to reassure passengers and their own employees about safety during a pandemic that has made many people afraid to fly.
Transportation
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More than 1,000 TSA employees have tested positive for coronavirus
Air travel numbers, that collapsed in the early stages of the coronavirus outbreak, are steadily climbing even as the virus is surging again: Nearly 2.7 million people traveled over the July Fourth holiday weekend.
United Airlines sending layoff notices to nearly half of U.S. employees
The furloughs would include 15,000 flight attendants, 11,000 customer service and gate agents, 5,500 maintenance workers and 2,250 pilots.
I-70 to be testing ground for driverless trucks
It might be many years before fully autonomous vehicles are a common sight on public highways—but transportation officials in Indiana and Ohio are laying the groundwork now for that day.
Carmel preparing to add 11 roundabouts over next two years
The City of Carmel—already the self-proclaimed “Roundabout Capital of the United States”—on Monday released a list of intersections it plans to convert beginning this summer.
Pandemic spurring rise in RV sales in northern Indiana
Families are turning to road trips this summer in place of air travel and cruise ships.
American Airlines to begin booking flights to full capacity
American’s move matches the policy of United Airlines but contrasts sharply with rivals that limit bookings to create space between passengers to minimize the risk of contagion.
KAR Global units to terminate 48 employees in Plainfield
The companies attributed the terminations to business conditions caused by the ongoing pandemic.
Segway, popular with police but not the public, hits brakes
Segway, which boldly claimed its two-wheeled personal transporter would revolutionize the way people get around, is ending production of its namesake vehicle.
U.S. traffic has rebounded to about 90% of pre-pandemic levels, analysts say
In 22 states, people have begun to drive even more than they did in late February, before government shutdown orders began to take effect, according to INRIX, a traffic analytics firm.
Transit agencies, airports, Amtrak to receive nearly 100M masks to give passengers
The announcement came on the same day that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “strongly encouraged” organizers of large gatherings to tell participants to wear cloth face coverings when at such events.
United Airlines to require that passengers pass health checklist
As states and localities reopen for business, carriers are developing procedures to ensure that flying is safe.
City reopens Illinois Street to vehicles following pandemic-related closure
The other street closures—to Massachusetts Avenue, Broad Ripple Avenue and Georgia Street—will remain in effect through July 4, the city said.
Brothers to funnel $4.5M into companies stung by pandemic
Sensing an investment opportunity—and a chance to do good—the four Litt brothers have set aside for investment a portion of the $40 million they reaped from the 2019 sale of their transportation-management firm, Reliable Source Logistics.
Airline stocks soar as American, United add back flights
American Airlines said it will aggressively add back flights in July, while United Airlines also announced plans to add back flights, while taking a more cautious approach.
2020 Innovation Issue: Catalyst firm breaks ground with transportation-technology projects
Most people have never heard of Energy Systems Network. But they probably either know of or have been affected by one or more of the not-for-profit’s forward-thinking projects.
Trump says $77.5M in federal funds earmarked for ‘game-changing’ local transit project
That amount would pay for half of the proposed IndyGo Purple Line project, a 15.2-mile route from Indianapolis to Lawrence with an estimated budget of $155 million.
City seeks new uses for remaining BlueIndy assets
The city will issue a request for information next month that will solicit “cost-effective, placed based uses” for the below ground infrastructure and footprint of existing BlueIndy stations.
Boeing cuts 12,000 jobs, resumes production of grounded jet
Shortly after disclosing the job cuts, Boeing announced Wednesday that it has resumed production of the grounded 737 Max jetliner. Two deadly crashes of Max jets pushed Boeing into a financial crisis months before the coronavirus squeezed global air travel to a trickle.
Consumers, lawmakers rip airlines for withholding refunds
Five Senate Democrats proposed legislation on Wednesday that would require airlines to give full cash refunds to passengers during the pandemic, even if it was the customer who canceled.